Adding HA, Updating, Upgrading, or Expanding the System

The following procedures are considered "system-altering", and requires advance preparation by the administrator:

Adding or removing a high availability (HA) system

Updating the system to a later version by using an ISO update file

Upgrading the system by redeploying the system from a OVA file for the upgrade version

Expanding the system size from the current size to a larger size

You will put the system in maintenance mode when performing these procedures. Because of this, you may want to schedule several of these procedures together; for example, expanding the system and updating the system during the same maintenance window.

Keep in mind the following constraints:

If you have already added HA to your system, and would like to expand or upgrade the system, then you will need to redeploy the HA system again, following the upgrade. System expansions or upgrades requires the deployment of a new system, with the transfer of the system data to the expanded or upgraded system. When deploying a new system, you are asked to choose between deploying a primary system or the HA system - you cannot deploy both at once. Therefore, you must first deploy the primary system with the OVA file, then deploy the HA system, with the same OVA file used for the primary system.

If you are planning to add a HA system, as well as update it (with an ISO update file), then we recommend you first add the HA system, then update the combined (primary and HA) system. The update procedure updates the entire system, with or without a HA system. If you update the system first, then to add HA, you first need to deploy the HA system, then update the HA system (so both the primary and HA systems are at the same version). If you add HA first, then the update procedure updates the combined primary and HA system at the same time.

The update procedure updates the entire system, with or without an Internet Reverse Proxy.

Preparing For a System-Altering Procedure

This section describes how to prepare for a major system-altering procedure: expanding your system, adding a high availability system, enabling public access, updating or upgrading your system, and so on.

Caution

Because this procedure requires exclusive access to the system, users cannot access the system for meetings. Be sure to schedule this procedure during a time that will be least disruptive to your users.

Other system administrators should not access the system during this procedure. If they do so, their changes are not saved, and the result may be unpredictable. They must wait until this procedure is completed, then sign in to Cisco WebEx Administration to do their task.

Note

Be sure to coordinate with other system administrators before starting a system-altering procedure.

Attention:

If you do not need to create a backup of your virtual machines, then you do not need to complete this procedure. However, as a best practice, Cisco recommends creating a backup. Backups enable you to revert the system if the procedure is unsuccessful.

Procedure

Step 1

Sign in to the Cisco WebEx Administration site.

Step 2

Select Turn On Maintenance Mode.

Step 3

In the VMware vSphere client, power off each of the virtual machines in your system. Select Power > Shut Down Guest .

For complete details on using vSphere, see the VMware ESXi and vCenter Server documentation.

Step 4

Once all the virtual machines are powered off, then use VMware Data Recovery to create a backup of each of your virtual machines.

A backup will help you revert your virtual machine to its state before the update. For further information, see Creating a Backup Using VMware vCenter. For complete details on this backup, see the VMware Data Recovery Administration Guide.

Note

You may also take snapshots, but you must delete these in approximately 24 hours, or you may experience data performance issues, common to virtual machine snapshots. For more information, see Taking a Snapshot Using VMware vCenter.

Step 5

In the VMware vSphere client, power on each of the virtual machines in your system.

Step 6

Sign back in to the Cisco WebEx Administration site, but do not turn off maintenance mode.